Unsure if this is where this goes... plans for vacation in WDW - never been - help! :)

[ruthie_]

My husband and I have never been to WDW and we are planning a trip for 2016 for ourselves and our three kids (DS 8, DD 5, DD <1yr). We are planning to stay at the Art of Animation for nine days (including arrival and departure days). We have booked a Disney Dining plan (1QS, 1TS, 1 snack credit/night), park hopper passes, and the water park pass as well. I am considering the photopass thing because it's our first trip and it seems like a good idea. Thoughts? I am in the midst of roughly planning our stay, and have broken up the days as follows:

Day 1. arrival - around 3pm (this will actually be day three of vacation as we have to drive for days one and two and three to get to WDW...) - go to Disney Springs to walk around in the evening (thinking about Wolfgang Puck Express for supper).
Day 2. Go to MK to meet all the important characters. I was thinking about dedicating our first day to meeting characters (getting fastpass+s for meeting princesses). I'm not going to say no rides on the first day at MK, but I think maybe spending a day meeting the characters would help start the trip well for the kids. We're going to HDDR for supper, then heading back to MK for Wishes (should we get fastpasses for Wishes for this day?).
Day 3. Going to MK
Day 4. Going to AK
Day 5. Going to Epcot.
Day 6. Going to HS.
Day 7. Going to MK.
Day 8 - open in the day, then going for our 10th anniversary dinner at Le Cellier (getting an in-room babysitter - has anyone used this service?)
Day 9 - probably going to MK in the day (last day) and going to Ohana for supper - then heading out to start the drive home!

So I am open to suggestions for days 8 and 9. Also looking for time at the water parks. Suggestions totally welcome!

I am not sure exactly where to put this so if there is a more appropriate forum, please tell me so I can ask where I should! Thanks everyone.

 

[Cyrano]

Hi Ruthie. Michelle and Reid welcome you to the TPAS DIS board



We are a friendly and knowledgeable bunch here so please join in on any other thread or if you have a number of questions then just start a new thread



If you have not had a look yet the DIS posting guidelines can be found here.

You have came to the right place for your park planning. The folks here will chip in shortly

If you have any questions regarding dining you can head over to our neighbours on the Restaurant boards here.

 

[ruthie_]

Oh super! Thank you very much. I have been lurking for a long time but finally made the plunge as the burning questions were, well, burning lol

 

[GBBTomorrow]

Hi Ruthie! Welcome to the DIS Boards! You'll find so many nice people here willing to give advice and talk Disney with you.

Your trip sounds so wonderful!! Since this is your first trip and you're staying for a good long time, I would definitely want to get the Memory Maker (PhotoPass). It's so nice to have good pictures of your whole family, plus you get ride videos of a couple rides and a lot of very pretty professional photos of the parks and characters as well.
You can then do whatever you want with all of them, including adding cute borders and graphics.

I think your schedule sounds so nice! I would make only a couple of comments:

• You might like to take a day off, or at least a half day off, in the middle of your schedule, as people will get tired and it's nice to take some time to enjoy your resort. Water Parks could be a nice option for your non-park day.
• I would be more likely to spread the character greetings throughout the trip, as that sounds like a whole lot of time waiting in line (even with Fastpasses), especially for the baby. I would be more inclined to do a mix of rides and greetings each day of the trip, perhaps with a character meal to help with getting time with the characters.
• You must be tougher than I am to start the drive home late at night!

No matter what you do, this will be a trip you'll remember forever. Enjoy!! Happy Anniversary!

 

[siskaren]

Since you've never been, I would highly recommend this guide book:

http://www.amazon.com/Guide-First-D...r=8-12&keywords=walt+disney+world+guide+books

 

[Mainemama]

Sounds like you are going to have a great trip! Here is my two cents having travelled with kids exactly those ages (for my 2nd trip). Yes to Memory Maker! Be aware that your kids may or may not like character meets (mine do not). Sitting on Santa's lap would be a good test... Do they love it or hate it? (Just thinking starting with a whole day around meets might be tough if 1 or all do not like meets). I plan a rest day (or 2 for a trip this length. Dedicating a day to sleep in, avoid parks, swim, or do resort activities (fishing, boating, playing on playground) has been the secret to my family's avoiding meltdowns. Disney is VERY stimulating. Wonderful, but stimulating. Just bear that in mind and maybe plan your day 4 for downtime. We typically do a fun dinner that night, which could be in a park (say Epcot), but don't plan rides that day. If you are getting park hopper,you might want to plan out where you will hop. We did not use hoppers our first several trips, and did not miss it. Bear in mind that WDW is huge. Travelling both within a park and between resorts and parks was so much bigger than I could possibly imagine. Do follow the rule of thumb that it will take you at least an hour between destinations. HDDR is a great choice, by the way! Last two tips: touring plans (subscription website) and rider swap have made touring with kids this age very easy, but I can't imagine what we would do without them!

 

[ruthie_]

@GBBTomorrow - Thank you for the advice! That sounds great.

We normally vacation pretty far away and our drives are normally long. We are planning just to drive to Savannah the first night on the way back, so it's not crazy. We typically drive 24 hours straight starting at 8pm lol so... we're used to it. But we are getting old and need to sleep now, so no driving straight through the night (though you can cover so much ground with kids when they are sleeping!).

The character greetings - yes - that makes sense. I was thinking that would be a great idea, but after your feedback, I am thinking that that was a good plan on paper only lol and that might make for a long day with baby.

I am on the fence about a day off. I feel like we will need it but as we have never been, it's tempting just to go and make grandiose plans. But I am thinking maybe like a half day off? We are travelling with my parents, sister (and her family), and brother. So we are also kind of going with their plans.

Thanks! 10 years has flown by! And it's our first resort vacation too! We have never done anything like this!

 

[ruthie_]

@Mainemama - Thank you!

Okay - so we will plan for some down time!

I am glad to hear the feedback about the Memory Maker too from both of you! I wasn't sure if it was worth the extra but I think it is - especially for the ride photos and ways you can manipulate the photos (add borders, etc). I think that will be fun.

That is a great comparison with regards to Character Meets and Santa - DS does not like that kind of thing. DD will go nuts meeting the princesses and Minnie - I really can't wait for that. Great points. I think maybe just having those three days for sure at MK and speading out the meetings and doing rides and all that on those days will be a good way to go. That will make it more enjoyable for my son too!

We are not planning to use the Park Hoppers much but just want to have them on hand if we want to use them. WDW is huge and I understand that I don't understand how big it actually is. (I've read it's the size of San Francisco! Wow!)

Thank you for the tips! That's great. Looking forward to a real vacation (but sounds like I'll need another vacation when I get back )

 

[ruthie_]

Thank you @siskaren - will check it out and order it! Appreciate it! Was wanting a book but not knowing which to select.

 

[Canuck16]

I highly recommend getting the Memory Maker. We always get it for our trips and feel it is well worth the investment especially for the Magic Shots.......our kids are older and they love doing the Magic Shots.

We usually will take a mid-trip break away from the parks. That could be a good time to hit one of the water parks.

You may want to check out a ADR at Crystal Palace for a character breakfast before the park opens so you can get in and see the park when it is empty.

Have a great first trip!

 

[ruthie_]

@Canuck16 - are you a fellow Canuck? I live in Southern Ontario

Awesome. Okay. I'm sold on the Memory Maker. Thanks! (I'm also sold on a break of some sort during the week - that seems to also be a recurring theme here! )

We do have 2 ADRs at Be Our Guest for breakfasts @8am - one at the beginning and one at the end of the trip exactly for that purpose! To see the park empty! Also, at Be Our Guest at breakfast, you use Quick Service Credits, so not the commitment of the Table Service credit as we aren't huge breakfast people).

I WILL have a great first trip! Going to WDW - how can you NOT have a great time?! Looking forward to it. Haven't told the kids yet. Thinking about telling them en route... hahaha! I'm thinking it will take a while to figure it out. Maybe by Atlanta? Hopefully - hoping to catch the moment they figure it out on tape!

 

[Canuck16]

@Canuck16 - are you a fellow Canuck? I live in Southern Ontario

Awesome. Okay. I'm sold on the Memory Maker. Thanks! (I'm also sold on a break of some sort during the week - that seems to also be a recurring theme here! )

We do have 2 ADRs at Be Our Guest for breakfasts @8am - one at the beginning and one at the end of the trip exactly for that purpose! To see the park empty! Also, at Be Our Guest at breakfast, you use Quick Service Credits, so not the commitment of the Table Service credit as we aren't huge breakfast people).

I WILL have a great first trip! Going to WDW - how can you NOT have a great time?! Looking forward to it. Haven't told the kids yet. Thinking about telling them en route... hahaha! I'm thinking it will take a while to figure it out. Maybe by Atlanta? Hopefully - hoping to catch the moment they figure it out on tape!

You betcha.....we live in Kelowna BC so WDW is a splurge trip for us. DLR is our go to park but we can't wait to get back to WDW again in a few years.

When we were there BOG did not have breakfast but we did have dinner there once and it was a great experience!

Have a great time!

 

[ruthie_]

Nice! I used to know people out in Kelowna! I worked with people all over Canada and Kelowna was one of the spots I frequently corresponded with.

Disney is a huge splurge for us - we are much closer but it is very expensive. But very worth it. The kids are of course into Disney films (and me too!) - can't wait.

I think BOG started breakfast sometime this past Spring. The menu looks pretty tasty and I have watched some youtube reviews and it seems to be a good choice. Fingers crossed!

 

[TI double-GUH ER]

Glad you're doing the Memory Maker. I've always been happy with that particular purchase. The kids loved getting the magic shots too.

With the characters, since your DS isn't really in to them, I think it would be a good idea to get a list of the "most important" characters to meet, and then plan to meet them and just leave the rest as a spontaneous sort of thing- if you see them, want to meet them, and have the time for the line, you can go for it and it becomes a happy bonus. Kenny the Pirate has a website that tells you which characters you can meet in which parks. This way you get to see whoever you want, (or your DD wants) and you also aren't running yourself ragged. Character meals are a great way to see many of them at once. My kids loved Crystal Palace, and meeting Pooh, and the Disney Junior breakfast at Hollywood Studios was also a hit - if your kids know and like those characters. I saw that you have Be Our Guest booked - that should be fun!!

I also think it would be good to sort of figure out which rides/attractions people are most interested in. When you're traveling with a large group, especially of many different ages and heights, it's hard to keep everyone happy. If everyone has a chance to say what their top ride/show is, and that is a priority then no one feels left out and they tend to handle everyone else's choices much better. Perhaps make a list of the top things you want to see, and sort of plug them in to the different days. (You don't necessarily have to make it a strict schedule, but it might help to see it all written down.) Even with 9 days know that you are not going to be able to see and do everything.

Park hopping - if you can do one park in the morning, break around lunch and then pop over somewhere else for dinner, that works well. Animal Kingdom usually closes earlier than the others, so it lends itself well to that sort of option. Epcot has a lot of great options for dinner!

Your DS might really love the Agent P adventures in World Showcase. Fun - and it doesn't involve any princesses

Mid day and mid-trip breaks are great. Consider having a day where you go to a later breakfast (you could even do this at another hotel - like Grand Floridian or Contemporary- if you don't want to use a park ticket) and then maybe swim and head down to Disney Springs. A little retail therapy can be great. Seriously though - lots to do and see there for the kids too. The Lego store is fun, and there are some great restaurants there too if you prefer to catch dinner or lunch there. (Some even take the dining plan.) We haven't been able to squeeze in the water parks yet... but then again my kids are quite happy swimming in the resort pool!

The best advice I can give you is it's better to get up early and get to the parks as early as possible rather than sleep in and go in early afternoon. The lines are so much shorter, and you can get much more accomplished. Best of luck! Have a magical first trip! (And may it be the first of many!!)

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Hi, Ruthie! Welcome.

Here are a few of my thoughts.

Although DTD is nice to see, I would start my arrival in a park. Since it looks like you already have to purchase an 8 day ticket, why not purchase a 9 day ticket and get a FP for Wishes on your first night (or SDMT or one of the other headliners)? Or maybe even Fantasmic on your first night. It is a great first-night show. You could book a Fantasmic dinner package and see the show, then on your HS day, you could do a half day at HS then head to Epcot or MK at night.

You have purchased park hoppers, but it looks like you aren't really doing much park hopping, based on your schedule. Park hopping can be nice, but it is time consuming and may be a challenge with 3 small children.

Since you are going to be there so long, you might consider shorter days in the parks rather than a full day's break and really long days in the park. I have made the mistake of running my children ragged and we all paid the price. I enjoy my trips more when we spend 6-9 hours in the parks each day. Art of Animation has a wonderful pool and water play area. Letting your kids play there several different days for an hour or two may be better than a full pool day.

I think it is nice to meet a lot of characters on Day 1 (or 2) at the MK, but definitely get FP for the character meet and greets. They tend to have some of the longest lines of any attractions. If you can get Talking Mickey, C&R, and A&E all in the same day, that would be nice. We often use our FP for character meet and greets and would prefer to use the FP for those than for the parades or shows.

Do you think you are going to get the use out of the water park tickets? If I understand it correctly, you get the same number of days at the water parks that you get at the parks when you buy that option. Therefore, you could use the water park tickets on 8 different days (other vets, am I correct about this?). When will you use the water parks? Since it is your first trip, I might consider removing the water parks for now, unless you are truly set on them. You won't get to see everything in the parks in the time are you there. Maybe save the water parks for when your kids are a little older?

Your plans really do look good. Whatever you do, I am sure you will have an amazing trip.

 

[ruthie_]

@TI double-GUH ER - Thank you!

Great idea about organizing the character meets. Yes, him meeting Santa never really goes great... lol so I think even letting him go off with my husband and doing the meets with my DD may be a good answer to that - let the "men" go ride man-rides - like the Buzz Lightyear one - he is going to love that one! Although my DD will as well.

For Character Meals we have ADRs for CRT, BOG (supper, so you meet the Beast, right?), Akershus, and Tusker House. We are also going to HDDR as I thought my DS would enjoy that.

We are travelling with a great big group - 12 total - and we range from our family with kid-aged kids and we're in our early 30s, my sister has a very young family and are mid 20s, my parents are almost empty nesters, and my brother is young and single... so we are all going to do what we can together, but we are planning to break apart when necessary to make sure we all "get to do" what we want.

The Park Hopping recommendations sound great.

Agent P adventures in World Showcase - I will look into that! Sounds like something my son would love lol especially since there are no princesses ("they're so girly mom!" hahaha). It is some kind of Scavenger Hunt or something?

Disney Springs - yes! I am looking forward to the Lego store! My DS actually does not like Lego, but my DD does

Yes - no sleeping in!!! Everyone is getting alarm clocks for Christmas! hahaha!

 

[msmama]

@Mainemama - Thank you!

Okay - so we will plan for some down time!

I am glad to hear the feedback about the Memory Maker too from both of you! I wasn't sure if it was worth the extra but I think it is - especially for the ride photos and ways you can manipulate the photos (add borders, etc). I think that will be fun.

That is a great comparison with regards to Character Meets and Santa - DS does not like that kind of thing. DD will go nuts meeting the princesses and Minnie - I really can't wait for that. Great points. I think maybe just having those three days for sure at MK and speading out the meetings and doing rides and all that on those days will be a good way to go. That will make it more enjoyable for my son too!

We are not planning to use the Park Hoppers much but just want to have them on hand if we want to use them. WDW is huge and I understand that I don't understand how big it actually is. (I've read it's the size of San Francisco! Wow!)

Thank you for the tips! That's great. Looking forward to a real vacation (but sounds like I'll need another vacation when I get back )

Another YES for Memory Maker, especially since it seems like it's a large group. One large group tip - don't feel the need to stay together all the time. Meet up for certain things, but often it's better/easier, to go your own way at times.

Just remember that "downtime" can be any time of day. You can take a full day off, you can start late, you can leave early. Don't get bogged down in "doing what others say," do what's best for your family.

On the characters - my son HATES seeing Santa (but I force it every year), however LOVES characters. As long as they're faces are covered. What he doesn't like are face characters (like princesses). Never even would've guessed that's a thing, but...it is.

Thank you @siskaren - will check it out and order it! Appreciate it! Was wanting a book but not knowing which to select.

Good book, but you can also go to your library and find like a million disney books, too, if you don't want to pay for one!

 

[ruthie_]

@AtlantaDisneyDreamer

Thanks for the feedback! I was considering doing some "down time" in the water parks instead of going back to the hotel - bad idea? We were going with the Park Hopper, then the addition of the water pass wasn't much more money, so we added it on. We were also thinking about how hot it is in Florida and were thinking it might be a nice "cool" break from the parks... as we have not been to Florida before, we're not sure how hot it will be/humid it will be. Thoughts?

 

[ruthie_]

@msmama - Thanks!

Since I have never been to WDW in my life, neither has my husband, we are definitely not planning on all sticking together. All of our little sub-groups within the big group are at such different stages of life. So we are planning on doing what we can together, but not getting hung up on sticking together. Fortunately, DS and DD are best friends, so it makes it a little easier as they have a lot of overlapping interests! Princesses not being one of them. hahaha! But both are going to love everything. We recently saw a show where the characters went to WDW and my son said, "awww Mom, I wish that we could go there." Little does he know... Momma's got a surprise! hahaha!

Interesting about the whole face-covered thing... I will test the waters with him and see! Maybe this will go better than I expect!

I am excited to see the talking Mickey - does your son like that one?

Also, have you seen the Belle's Enchanted Tales? The technology looks just unreal (I am thinking of the chest of drawers talking - I saw it in a youtube video). I think he will like that - super creative. But then you meet Belle... face character... :S

 

[senadler]

We typically use character meals to avoid having to do the character meets in the park. It looks like you have some of those planned, so you may want to use most of your FP+ for rides rather than for characters you are already scheduled to meet at meal. I would agree with the suggestions to spread a few character meets throughout the trip instead of doing them all at once.

I would also suggest using one of the crowd calendars to make sure your scheduled parks line up with the recommended parks for those days. This can make a big difference in what you are able to get done.